2016 Remirez de Ganuza Reserva

89% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, sourced from 60-year-old vineyards at the foothills of the Sierra Cantabria. Hand-harvested and carefully selected on the sorting table. This is a very special selection: each grape cluster is divided into shoulders and tips and only the destemmed Tempranillo shoulders are used. Aged for 26 months in barrel, with 80% French oak and 20% American oak, using 60% new barrels and 40% second-use barrels. Tasted blind. Coffee and mocha lead a wonderful aromatic profile, layered with tobacco, leather and ripe plums, showing impressive complexity and a subtle touch of liquorice. The palate is delicious, with all elements beautifully integrated and notable poise. A faint nail-varnish note appears but is held well in check by the remarkable concentration and quality of the fruit. What a classic – and, more importantly, what a delight. (FC)